A lovely example of a very rare car, believed to one of only twelve survivors out of just twenty one originally built. The car is extremely stylish and elegant in a way that is difficult to put into words, and must have made quite a statement, looking very futuristic on the streets of 1950s Britain. Fabulous build quality for which Bristol were known, combined with gorgeous lines and proportions, as well as rarity and overall desirability, make this car an exceptionally unusual opportunity. Quirky is also an appropriate term to use, which encompasses, amongst other aspects, unusual curiosities such as push-button door handles and a bonnet which can be opened fully from either side. Fully disappearing hood, divided windscreen and fabulous, orange dashboard and period instruments are amongst other features to point out. Fabulous quality and in excellent condition following a thorough renovation less than ten years ago, after fifty years off the road. Comes with a history file which includes invoices going back to the 1960s, an old buff logbook, letters, ownership records, various documents and a copy of ‘The Automobile’, which includes an article on the car’s resurrection in 2015. Running and driving very nicely, looking fabulous!

Price £155,000 – Sale Agreed

Snippets: 10th Commando Belgium Squad

The 1st owner of UML534 was a Belgium gentleman Willy Victor Dauppe (1913/61) who prior to the outbreak of war was a partner of A. C. Cochenet (steel) then he became an agent for the Belgium steel consortium Société Cockerill (founded in the 1800s by a British entrepreneur John Cockerill). In August 1939 Willy Dauppe joined the Belgium Army and returned to the UK through Dunkirk, he then joined the 10 Commandos (Belgium No 4 Troop) and was a participant in many raids including Operation Rumford & Operation Infatuate. Nr. 10 Commando unit was one of the most unique fighting units of WWII as it comprised of both allied & disaffected enemy personnel and refugees from war-torn Europe. There are several fascinating and details books about their exploits with Capt. W. V. Dauppe being mentioned in several chapters. In 1961 the Bristol was acquired by Dr. Michael Peter Wright the son of Dr. Helena & Dr. Henry Wardel Snarey Wright. Dr Henry Wright served during both World Wars with the RAMC & was the recipient of the Legion d’Honneur in 19458. Dr. Helena also served with the RAMC and later trained as a gynaecologist – Michael’s brother Berwic also joined the medical profession as have 2 of Henry & Helena’s grandchildren. In 1968 the Bristol 402 was sold by Michael for £250 in part exchange for a new Bristol 405 Drophead Coupe which the price was £750.

A fabulous example of a late Ghost with four-wheel brakes. Very appropriately bodied many years ago to a high standard, very well built and now in excellent condition, nicely matured to just the right degree! The doors close with a delightful ‘click’, and the overall structure and design are excellent. The car is very good mechanically, well appointed, has an interesting history, has been very well cared-for and prepared by the last owner, and as a result is nicely ‘tried & tested’, ready for its next adventure in life, 100 years after coming into this world! Maintenance and repair over the last fifteen years or so is well documented in the history file, which also includes various literature, letters etc from earlier in the car’s life, and photos of its appearance in the ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ film. Four wheel brakes make the car more practical and useable than earlier models, adding to the usability. Adjustable rake windscreen, rear ‘auster’ screen, correct lamps, straight-sided tyres (including twin side mounts), wheel discs, three piece tonneau cover, toolkit, etc, etc, all add to the appeal. If you are looking for a ready to go, four wheel brake, open Ghost, you may have just found it!

Price £125,000 – Sale Agreed

Snippets: Bacon & Bond

82EM was ordered by D H Bloomer of Eleanor St., Grimsby est1920 for their wealthy customer Edwin Bacon (1852/1943). Edwin Bacon started work as a fishing lad and by 1899 owned his own trawling firm, by the start of WWI his business had expanded to the extent that he had his own engineering, plumbing, blacksmithing and carpentry firms just to keep his fleet of 70 vessels afloat! During both WWI & WWII a number of his ships were used to carry out minesweeping duties in the North Seas with many vessels and crews not returning to harbour. Edwin Snr’s wealth was such that during WWII he loaned the British Government the sum of £45,000 (interest free) and he donated the sum of £9,436 to the Spitfire Fund which enable the production of a pair of Spitfires Grimsby I and II. He sold 82EM in 1928 having just acquired a little Rolls-Royce Limousine 20hp GKM3. When he died in 1943 his estate was in excess of £260,000 which today would be around £15m. Not bad for a fishing lad. The next owner of 82EM was Frederick Malcolm Bond MD of Limmer & Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co Ltd and also on the board of Penmaenmawr & Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co & Western Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co Ltd. The firm used high quality asphalt from Limmer in Germany and from the Pitch Lake in Trinidad. In 1922 Frederick’s wife, Rosa, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving of one William Eagle whose occupation was described as a rag dealer. With the evidence provided by Lord Hampden who was driving in the opposite direction to Mrs. Bond she was acquitted of manslaughter – it’s not known what make or model the car was only that it was described at the time as “a powerful car”.

Offered as a renovation project, without engine and gearbox. The car is otherwise complete and correct, with original leather interior which should come back to life nicely. There are some rust repairs required, and of course and engine and gearbox will need to be sourced (we may be able to help). Alternatively, how about a conversion to electric power? Comes with V5C registration document.

Price £6,750

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An extremely appealing example of the sought-after Mulliner 7514 design, in lovely, sharp and correct condition, very nicely finished in its original colour scheme of white, with fine red pinstripes, harmonising well with the gorgeous red leather and red carpets. The interior is a lovely place to spend time, with fabulous veneers, finished to a very high standard, good headlining and fitted with inertia reel seat belts. It even smells ‘just right’, with no indication of neglect or poor maintenance. In fact, the whole car exudes an air of correctness and wholesomeness, inside, outside and underneath, and has been very well cared for and loved by one owner since 1976 – 48 years and 80% of its life so far! The comprehensive, original tool kit also says something about the care that the car has received, and the life that it has led. A beautiful car, ready to use and enjoy, comes with a stretch fit car cover, and with a lovely (original) registration number as a bonus! MoT tested until July 2025.

Price £ 175,000

Snippets: Denny & Hogarth Shipbuilders

The 1st owner of BC124CZ was Mrs Elizaeth Denny who from 1934 to 1951 was the first wife of Edward Leslie Denny a scion of the Denny Shipbuilding firm. Elizabeth was the daughter of Mr. Crawford Hogarth, he was the owner of the Baron line of steamships so the marriage ensured that at one stage the Denny-Hogarth connections formed one of the largest shipping concerns in Scotland. We have managed to obtain a book by A. A. McAlister which details the history & fleet list of H. Hogarth & Sons Ltd from 1862 until 1974 when the family concern was absorbed into T. L. Duff & Co. Elizabeth Denny’s father was Hugh Hogarth (1909/1973) – he was the son of Samuel Crawford Hogarth (1874/1950) and grandson of his namesake Hugh Hogarth Snr (1840/1904). In 1951 Elizabeth divorced Edward on the grounds of cruelty with the court revealing that Elizabeth’s personal income was some £8,000pa which today would be in excess of £250,000! There is a mention of the actress Jill Bennet having owned BC124CZ but we can neither deny nor confirm this so if anyone can please do let us know. By 1976 the Bentley S2 was with Nigel Gluckstein of No. 15 Pembridge Place in London where the last owner, then aged just 21 saw the car, fell in love with her and bought her – it remained in the family until earlier this year.

A lovely, sharp, straight, undisturbed example, with a comprehensive history file, including service records, correspondence, MoTs, etc, which is sufficient for us to be confident that the mileage of 56,400 is correct. The paintwork is generally excellent, and of very high quality, the chrome is lovely, but the outstanding feature of this car is the condition of the interior. It is difficult to over-describe it, as the tan leather to the front and beige west of England cloth to the rear are absolutely original, with beautiful veneers, a gorgeous cocktail cabinet, etc, but spotlessly clean and fresh, as though the car was built a couple of years ago. Looks, feels and smells absolutely right, and has to be seen! The engine bay is suitably clean, with a ‘well maintained’ look, and the engine runs very smoothly. The boot area is lovely and clean, the toolkit looks as though it hasn’t been used, and the spare tyre has never been on the road. An excellent example overall, which has just come from a well known F1 champion, and offered at a very fair price. MoT tested until July 2025.

Price £ 57,500

Snippets: SMM Ltd & Cambridge Instruments

During its life PRH4661 has been registered to several companies including producers of plastic materials, scientific & medical instruments & their investors. The first was Sterling Moulding Materials Ltd which was started by a Rudy Sternberg (1917/1978) who in 1937 alongside his family escaped from Nazi Austria, after studying chemical engineering in London he joined the British Army in a non-combative roll and in 1945 was granted citizenship. He started his career by buying old buttons, using his chemical knowledge he re-dyed them before selling them to the garment trade. In 1948 he purchased 5 cotton mills – Albion, Castle, Tower, Whitelands and Queen plus 2 engineering sites i- Globe & Phoenix in Stalybridge which he then converted to chemical plants. In 1951 he married Monica Prust a Canadian who trained as a ballerina with the Royal Ballet (in 1939 she was in the Vic-Wells Ballet production of The Sleeping Princess). By the time Rudy purchased PRH4661 he had some 1,000 employees and when he attended the Leipzig Trade Fair his Rolls-Royce was taken there by his chauffeur & he was driven around the area with the Union Jack flying! In 1970 he was knighted and in 1975 made a peer of the Realm taking the title Lord Plurenden, there are several books regarding him & his career – A Chapter in the recent industrial history of Stalybridge and more recently “The Wilson Plot” which is full of fascinating information. A more recent owner was none other than the South African racing driver Jody Scheckter who after his retirement founded a company which built firearms training simulators for military, law enforcement and security organisations after selling the company he purchased Laverstoke Park and became an organic farmer.

An unusual and very appealing car, being an original-bodied, two door, four light drophead with various interesting touches. For example, there are typically high-quality fixtures and fittings, including ‘Hooper Patent’ signalling window to the driver’s door, The car is correct, sound, smart and attractive, nicely finished in green with excellent red leather. Running and driving nicely, and fitted with overdrive, making the car more practical and enjoyable in modern traffic, particularly on longer journeys and tours, etc. Enhancements include twin side-mounted spare wheels, all six being shod with Michelin tyres, an excellent array of Lucas lamps, including P80 bullseye headlights, PLG40 centre spot, and ‘owl eye’ rear lamp, twin mirrors, a scuttle-mounted spot lamp, and much more. The car has been enjoyed by the last two owners, both of whom bought the car from us, for thirteen years and twelve years respectively. Both have looked after the car very nicely, and as a consequence it is in lovely condition, as well as being full of character and charm, and retaining its original, registration number MS 900. Offered serviced, newly MoT tested and ready to go.

Price £ 57,500

Snippets: Tobacco & Pottery

The first owner was Miss Isobel Kennedy Mitchell (1884/1967) of Craigmount, Kelvinside – her complicated family included connections to the 18th Century tobacco firm of Stephen Mitchell & Son, Glasgow. This firm had been established in Linlithgow in 1723 & due to expansion moved at the end of century to the outskirts of Glasgow. Isobel’s mother Isabella Stewart Tod died in 1892 aged 42 leaving Stephen Mitchell (1847/1920) with 4 children under the age of 13 to bring up. In 1894 Stephen married Miss Anges Rankin McNeill and in 1895 they had a daughter Margaret who lived her entire life with her half-sibling Isobel. Isobel & Margaret were keen adventures and due to their inheritance when their father died in 1920 they spent many years travelling Europe as did their bachelor Great-Uncle Stephen Mitchell who in 1874 left the sum of £70,000 (equivalent to £30m today) to the City of Glasgow in order for the City to establish a Public Library known today as the Mitchell Library. Isobel’s other family members included Rosemary Kennedy Aspin authoress of “Tales of the Broomhill Squirrels” & Isobel’s twin brother – Stephen Mitchell (1884/1951) who became a Scottish Unionist Politician. During WWII it was illegal to stockpile petrol without a licence but Margaret Mitchell didn’t think that law applied to her and in 1941 she was fined the sum of £25 for storing 19gallons at a home she shared with her sister Isobel. During the 1960s & ‘70s GOS44 was in the USA with Arthur Robert Feeney who was involved with the Scio Pottery Company which was destroyed by fire in 1947 but with the loyalty of the employees and locals Lew Reese (owner of Scio Pottery) managed to rebuild the factory in 62 days which was then a world record for that type of building – there is even a movie of the story! The Reese family even established a museum which had stuffed animals and vehicles including 1908 Maxwell Roadster, 1917 Chevrolet, 1933 LaSalle coupe, 1936 Packard coupe, 1954 Kaiser-Darrin plus a Rolls-Royce, Corvettes and Troy Ruttman’s 1952 race car in which he won the 1952 Indianapolis 500 – is the Rolls-Royce GOS44?

A lovely, correct and original drophead, finished in a tasteful shade of soft, muted pale green with nicely contrasting red leather interior – a very attractive combination and all in excellent condition. In the early 1980s, a major restoration took place, mechanically, structurally and cosmetically, all documented, with invoices, correspondence, etc, and since then the car has been well attended to, with more work carried out, including a new cylinder head being fitted in 2009. There is a detailed log of maintenance and repairs carried out by the last owner over the last twenty years or so, and all-in-all, the history file contains a great deal of letters, invoices, MoT certificates, etc, as well as an old green logbook, which added together form a picture of a car that has been loved and cherished. All of this attention has resulted in the car you see today, which has stood the test of time extremely well. A delightful car, sensibly priced, offered serviced, with five new Waymaster tyres, which suit it particularly well, with new heavy duty inner tubes, and MoT tested until October 2024.

Price £ 110,000

Snippets: A British & Greek Military Cross

Col. James Nockells Horlick (1886/1972) owned B117AE for just a year before he sold it to Richard Maurice of Little Grove Priory in Chesham. During WWI Col Horlick served with the Coldstream Guards and was awarded both the British & Greek Military Cross for his actions in Greece, he also received the Order of the White Eagle (4th Class) & the Chevalier Legion d’Honneur. In 1944 he purchased the estate of Achamore on the Isle of Gigha, Argyll where he restored the gardens to their former glory and include plants such as Southern Rātā (New Zealand), Puya Alpestris (Andes) and Wollemia Nobilis (Australia) plus many Rhododendrons which Col Horlick cultivated. When R. Maurice owned B117AE it appeared at the JCC Rally at Brooklands in March where the car was driven by Mr. J. Martin and came 3rd overall in the over 16hp event. We think this person could be James Martin of Kirriemuir – a well known sportsman and participant of various Rallies, he also owned a SS100 & in 1939 was fined £4 for driving his car at excessive speeds in Dundee! After WWII Richard Pilkington a scion of the Pilkington Glass family registered B117AE at the family London home of 3 Palmer Street, Westminster. During WWII Richard Pilkington was awarded the Military Cross for his work during ensuring safe passage for the Dunkirk passengers.